High School Musical: Scream if you can
by LucasAshleyFan
Summary: A serial killer is loose in New Mexico, and his targets: Sharpay and Ryan Evans, Troy Bolton and Gabreilla Montez. Taylor M and Chad Danforth. Which ones will survive? Read to find out. There is some gore and profane language in this story - Rated T
1. Let the Games Begin

**Disclaimer: I do not own high school musical in any way.**

It was late, around 10:00 pm, Sharpay and Ryan were home alone, parents were away in Paris. They sat on the couch, watching The Wizard of Oz and eating popcorn.

Suddenly the phone rang. Sharpay and Ryan looked at each other, wondering who was going to pick it up. Sharpay gave her brother a _look_.

"I'll get it," said Ryan. He got up off the couch to go answer the phone. He picked up, and there was a voice that he hadn't recognized. His face looked confused.

"_Hello," _said the voice.

"Troy, not now, it's late." Ryan answered turning to Sharpay.

"_Who's Troy?" _the person asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "I thought you were someone else. I think you have the wrong number." Ryan hung up the phone.

He walked back over to the couch and sat down next to his sister. "Who was that?" Sharpay asked. "I don't know. I think it might have been Chad though," Ryan told her.

Sharpay shrugged her shoulders, and turned her attention back to the movie. About 10 minutes had past since the phone call. They both thought it was just someone maybe making a crank call.

Everything had been going smoothly, Sharpay and Ryan had both almost forgotten the phone call, when it rang again. This time Sharpay would give him a piece of her mind.

She got up and went to the phone. Then she answered it. She placed the phone to her ear.

"Listen, buddy, you've got the wrong number! Stop calling!" She was about to hang up, but the voice shouted something.

"What?" Sharpay asked. She put the phone back to her ear.

"_I said, how about we play a little game," _the voice repeated.

"How did you get my number?" Sharpay asked, looking at Ryan.

"_I have my ways. But now back to the game."_ The voice said, in an evil tone.

A/N: Well, there's chapter one! Hope you like it. If it gets good reviews, the story will go on.


	2. Say Goodnight

Sharpay was still on the phone with the stranger. She didn't know what kind of game they were talking about.

"And what if I don't join in on your little game?" She asked.

"_Do the names Troy and Gabriella sound familiar?"_ the voice asked.

Sharpay suddenly felt her heart sing. Even though Troy and Gabriella weren't her best friends, she still cared for them.

"If you do as much as lay a finger on them I will-" Sharpay began to say, but was cut off by the voice.

"_How can you do anything to me, when you can't even see me?" _The voice started to laugh an evil chuckle.

Sharpay looked around the room, checking the windows. "That's a good question," she replied. Ryan became interested, and walked over to Sharpay.

"What's going on?" He asked leaning in closer, as to hear what the stranger was saying."

"Shh," Sharpay said, putting a finger to her lips.

"_You can't see me..But I can see you." Said the voice. _

Ryan and Sharpay both heard what he said. Their hearts felt like they stopped. The two went around the house, locking all the windows and doors.

"_Back to Troy and Gabriella," _the voice said, changing the subject. _"I have a little quiz for you. And if you get the questions right, you have saved both you, and your friends lives. But if you answer one wrong, I will make sure your friends die a slow and painful death."_

"Oh my god," said Sharpay covering her mouth, "you're a twisted freak!"

"_I wouldn't push it if I were you," _he said with an evil voice. _"Here come your first question. In the movie 'The Ring', what is the name of the little girl?"_

"That's easy. Samara," Sharpay said quickly. She had a look of confidence on her face.

"_Correct. But I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," _said the creepy voice. _"Ready for the next question?" _

"Bring it on," Said Sharpay. She was ready for anything.

"_What was the real name of Chucky in the movie 'Child's Play'?" he asked Sharpay._

"That's easy..um.." Sharpay hadn't known this question. "Help me out here, Ryan!" She commanded her brother.

Ryan whispered the answer into her ear. Then he turned around, looking in each direction.

"Hi name was Charles Lee Ray," said Sharpay to the voice. She waited for a reply.

"_That's right. You've passed my test. You have saved you, and both of your friend's lives. But I would count on looking forward to tomorrow," _the voice said, and then hung up.

"That was really freaky," Sharpay told Ryan. "Let's go to bed." They both agreed, and they walked upstairs to their rooms. But then Sharpay turned back, and unplugged the phone, just in case.

**A/N: Well, there's chapter two for you guys. Hope you liked it!**


	3. It's No Joke

Ok, I'm back with an update! I got some good reviews too. That means the story will go on! Here are a couple of reviews.

**Mondler4EvEr: Ok, I was getting all freaked out. Please continue!**

**ChaylorFnficPrincess: OMG! this is just like scream! who's gonna survive? omg, great start. can't wait for more. the suspense is killin me! update soon!**

Sharpay and Ryan woke up at 6:50, am. They brushed their teeth and hair, and Sharpay put on makeup, as always. She flashed some glitter into her hair, and then they both went down for breakfast.

Sharpay sat down next to Ryan, and poured some orange juice. They finished up, and walked outside to catch the bus.

"We really need our own cars," Sharpay said to her brother. "I mean we _do _have the money."

They waited a few minutes until the bus came, and got on board. Sharpay and Ryan sat together, across from Troy and Gabriella.

"Do you think we should tell them?" Ryan whispered to Sharpay, but she was to busy looking at herself in the mirror. He rolled his eyes, and looked out the side window.

"What did you say?" Sharpay asked, putting her mirror into her purse. "I said should we tell them?" He repeated. "Maybe at lunch," sharpay replied.

As time went by, Ryan and Sharpay were still a little bit freaked out. It wasn't long until lunchtime came.

Ryan grabbed a seat by Troy and Gabriella (she had a book in her hand), and saved a seat for his sister. He tapped his fingers nervously, waiting for Sharpay to come.

She finally walked over, and sat down. She took a sip of milk, waiting for someone to talk.

"What's going on with you two?" Gabriella asked, putting her book down. "You seem worried about something."

"We got a call from someone last night," said Ryan after swallowing a chip.

Troy and Gabriella gave them a 'So?' look. "What's wrong with getting a phone call?" Troy asked.

"It wasn't _just _a call," Sharpay said quickly," The voice threatened to kill us." She said quietly.

Troy laughed. He thought they were messing around. "You're joking right?" He asked the two.

"You don't believe us?" Ryan asked. "

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "It was probably just Chad, Zeke, or Jason," she assured them. "You know how they are."

"But it wasn't them!" Sharpay shouted. "Just wait until tonight. You can come over, and we'll prove to you that it was no joke."

Troy's smile had disappeared from his face. He looked around the cafeteria. "Fine," he said, "Gabriella and I will come over, 8 o' clock sharp."

"We'll see you there," Ryan and Sharpay told them. "8 o' clock sharp."

School was almost over, and the class chatted for a few minutes until the bell rung.

Ryan and Sharpay got up, and rode home on the bus. They were silent the whole way home.

The clock struck 8, and the doorbell rang. Sharpay went to answer it, and Ryan was close to her side. She opened the door, and in came Troy and Gabriella.

"So," said Troy, "what time did this 'stranger' call?" he asked, with air quotes around the word stranger.

"Around 10," Ryan said, walking over to the living room. "I figured we could just mess around, and play some game or whatever until he called.

"You know, I think I have to go home-," Gabriella began to say, but was interrupted by Troy.

"Gabby, are you afraid?" Troy asked walking over to her and putting his arm around her.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm fine.. just fine." Gabriella was a little nervous about what could happen. But hey, who wouldn't be scared with a serial killer loose?


	4. Two down, Four to go

All right, time for chapter four! Thanks for all your reviews guys, without your help this story would be down the drain. Back to the story!

The group hung out, and watched movies for a while. Troy finally decided to break the silence.

"So what are these 'calls' all about?" He asked Ryan and Sharpay.

"We don't even know," Ryan answered, moving closer to the fireplac, "all we know is that the voice wasn't kidding around."

A few minutes afterwards, the phone began to ring, and Ryan went to pick it up. Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay followed.

"Hello?" he asked quietly. He knew it was the voice calling.

"_Hey again.. It's me."_ The voice replied slowly.

Gabriella had a worried look on her face, And Troy was comforting her.

"It's ok Gabriella, everything's all right," Troy assured her. But he wasn't sure that everything would be fine.

Ryan turned his attention back to the phone call with the stranger.

"What do you want?" he asked raising his voice just a little.

There was a long pause between the voices next reply. Ryan didn't know what happened.

"_What I want...Is to know," _he asked, then paused, _"Are your friends over there at you house?"_

"Um, why do you care?" Ryan asked with a stutter.

"_Let me speak with them," _he said.

"And what If I don't put them on?" he asked nervously.

"_Then I rip your sister's and your friends' guts out of them, and show them to you. Is that what you want?" _he asked.

Ryan was speechless. He couldn't even find the right words to tell this psycho. He told Sharpay what the voice said, and put her on the line.

"You sick, demented, crazy, twisted maniac!" She shouted.

"_The only way to stop me from doing that, is to put Gabriella on the phone, and let me have a little chat with her." _He said calmly.

"What if we don't trust you?" Sharpay asked.

"_Then I'm afraid I have no choice but to rip your gut- you get the picture." He told them._

"Fine, here," Sharpay said. She put Gabriella on the phone.

"Hello?" she asked very quietly.

"_Hello, Gabriella." _Said the voice, as if he knew her all his life. _"I've been watching you for some time now."_

"You've been stalking me?" she asked, with a little shout in her voice.

"_Not only you, my dear. Also many others."_ He told her.

"What do you want from us?" she asked, a tear falling from her eye.

"_The only thing I want..Is for you to look out the kitchen window." _He said to Gabriella.

She did as she was told. When she looked out the window, she caught a fast glimpse of a black figure, then it disappeared.

Gabriella dropped the phone. "Oh my god," she said in panic. Her mouth was open wide.

"Gabriella! What's wrong?" Troy asked running over to her.

"H-he's o-outside," she told him. She almost couldn't breathe.

Everyone made sure all the windows were locked, and shut, and that the doors were all locked.

Ryan picked up the phone. The voice had hung up. "You guys better go home," he said.

"Are you crazy?" Sharpay called. "There's a maniac out there! They should at least spend the night here."

Ryan followed his sister's directions. Ryan and Troy slept in Ryan's room, and Sharpay and Gabriella slept in Sharpay's room. (not in the same bed of course.)

TBC

A/N: There's chapter four! Hope the story is coming along great!


	5. The Party's Just Begun

**Thanks for the reviews guys!**

Chapter 5: His First Victims 

Morning came. It was about 6:00 am, and so far everything seemed to be going ok. Or so they thought.

Ryan and Sharpay said goodbye to Troy and Gabriella, and showed them to the door,

"See you at school," Ryan said, not knowing what was about to happen

About an hour passed since Troy and Gabriella left the house. Ryan and Sharpay took a shower in their own bathrooms.

Afterwards, they both went to the kitchen for breakfast.

Ryan grabbed an orange, and Sharpay got a bowl of cereal. She sat down in the living room, and turned on the TV.

There was a female newscaster on channel 5 announcing the 7 o' clock news to everyone.

"And that concludes our report on Pandas," the woman said, "And for our top story tonight, two teenagers around the age of 15 or 16 were murdered earlier this morning.

Sharpay put her spoon into her bowl. "Ryan, come in here!" she called. Ryan walked into the living room.

"What is it?" he asked. Then he looked at the TV, and saw what was going on.

"Reports say that the two went by the names of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez. Let's go to the streets of Albuquerque to see what the parents had to say," the reporter said as a camera caught up with four adults.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Sharpay, crying. Ryan was trying not to show that he was also crying.

A few minutes later, they had regained themselves. The two didn't feel like riding the bus today, so the walked.

It was a long, silent walk. No one spoke until they got to East High. As soon as they arrived, they could see everyone had very sad expressions on their faces.

During Drama class, Ms. Darbus hardly spoke at all. Sharpay didn't act so snobby and stuck up as she usually was.

"Students. I'm sure we have all heard the tragedy that occurred this morning to two of our fellow students, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez. Let us take this time to remember them," Ms. Darbus said with an unsteady voice.

There was a moment of silence, then Ms. Darbus said, "Today is a free day in my classroom. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves."

"Ryan, I feel like this is somehow our fault," Sharpay said with watering eyes.

"Why do you think that?" Ryan asked.

"Because, I'm the one that invited them over," she replied.

Soon after, everyone went to lunch. Ryan and Sharpay sat down next to Chad and Taylor.

"I can't believe it," Chad said, "Troy was my best bud."

"And Gabriella was my best friend," Taylor said.

"Ryan and I have been thinking," Sharpay said, "That maybe we should hold some sort of party, in honor of Troy and Gabriella?"

"That's a great idea!" Chad exclaimed. "Taylor and I can let everyone know."

After school, Ryan and Sharpay prepared for the party. They put up decorations, and a sign that read, "We'll Miss You Troy and Gabriella".

At 8:00, guests started the show up. Most of them wore black clothing. Ryan and Sharpay welcome everyone as they walked into the door.

They both wondered where Chad and Taylor were.

Meanwhile at Taylor's House…

Taylor was putting on her dress for the party. She put on lipstick, and her phone rang, making her mess up her makeup.

She answered, it was Chad.

"Are you almost ready Taylor?" Chad asked impatiently.

"One second Chad, gosh." Taylor said,

She finished getting ready, and when she turned around she saw a man in a black robe with a hood, wearing a phantom mask and holding a steak knife.

Taylor screamed. She ran down the stairs. She tripped, and rolled down. She struggled to get up, and she continued running slowly.

The killer caught up to her, and stabbed Taylor in the back. She fell to the ground, and kept getting stabbed repeatedly in the back.

He carried her upstairs, and threw her out the window where she fell to her death.

**A/N: Wow two deaths in one chapter! Hope you like it!**


	6. The Game Continues

Hey guys

Hey guys! It's been almost TWO YEARS since I have updated my "Scream If Your Can" story, and I think it's about time I got on with it. The reason why I didn't update it was because I became very busy with schoolwork and family matters. So without further ado, Chapter 6!

**Chapter 6: The Game Continues **

Chad decided to walk over to Taylor's house to see what was keeping her. He walked up the pathway to her door and knocked. No answer. He knocked once more. There still wasn't an answer.

"Taylor?" Chad called from outside the door. "We have to get to Ryan Sharpay's!"

He waited for at least five more minutes outside Taylor's house before he decided that she wasn't going to answer. Chad walked around the side of the house searching for any trace of Taylor. He looked along the dark ground look desperately. At last, he found a dead Taylor lying on the grass of the back yard with a knife sticking out of her back, blood everywhere.

"Oh, my god!" Chad screamed with shock. "Taylor, are you OK?" Of course she wasn't, but Chad was in so much shock seeing his girlfriend dead on the ground. He turned her body over revealing her face and her eyes frozen wide open. A tear streamed down Chad's Face.

"Hello?" Chad asked as he flipped his cell phone open. There a moment of silence and his heart began to beat faster and faster with every second. Then Sharpay's voice cut in.

"Sorry about that, my phone is jacked up," said Sharpay in a stuck-up voice. "Where the hell are you guys? The gathering started like a half hour ago!"

Chad was relieved that it was only Sharpay after he'd heard about the telephone serial killer.

"Oh, god, I thought you were someone else," Chad said with a sigh of relief. "I just found Taylor. She's d—dead."

"Oh no," Sharpay whispered, sounding like she was beginning to cry. "Why is this happening, Chad? Why?"

"I don't know, Sharpay. But I'm getting over there right now before something else happens," said Chad in a hurry.

Sharpay sighed.

"See you then," she said, her voice trailing off.

Chad closed his phone and ran to the sidewalk. He came the bus stop and waited for the night bus. After about ten minutes, a beat-up old bus pulled up beside him and opened its rusty doors. He stepped into the bus and looked at the driver.

"50 cents, kid," demanded the old bus driver, pointing to the toll box.

"All I have is a dollar bill," said Chad holding out the dollar.

"That's good, now put it in," the bus driver answered to Chas in a hoarse voice.

Chad put the dollar into the box and hurried down the aisle, trying not to look back at the scary looking driver. He found a seat about five or six rows back and sat in it. It was awfully dirty, and Chad tried his best to focus his mind on something else besides the nasty bus.

The old bus accelerated slowly and began driving down the road, and the bus driver kept having a series of cough attacks.

"Don't die, there…" Chad said to himself rolling his eyes.

When the bus neared Ryan and Sharpay's house, Chad pulled the rope above his head to signal the driver to stop. The bus came to a rickety halt and Chad stood up. As he exited the bus, the driver glared at him. But the bus driver wasn't the only person watching Chad. No, after Chad had gotten off, a man in a black robe walked slowly out the exit, keeping his eyes on Chad the entire way.

To Be Continued…

OK, that's all for the moment! This time I promise I will update the story more often (the next chapter will NOT come two years later, hehe…) More surprises and suspense are headed your way! So be sure to keep checking back often as the story continues!


	7. 1973

-1**Chapter 7: "1973"**

Chad walked swiftly up the steps to Ryan and Sharpay's house. He pushed the doorbell button and turned around and saw nothing but blackness around him.

He waited. A few moments later, Sharpay was at the door with tissue in her hand and mascara running down her face. It appeared as though she'd been crying.

"Come on in," Sharpay said, holding open the door. Once Chad was inside, she peered her head outside and looked around.

"Sharpay," Chad said quietly. "Are you okay?"

"Does it _look _like I'm okay, Chad?" said Sharpay, on the verge of tears again. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Chad. It's just so hard losing three of your classmates in such a short period of time."

"I know," Chad said. "I know. But we'll get through it. We're all in this together, remember?"

Sharpay got closer to him. "You're right. Come on into the living room. We're about to say a prayer."

But before they went into the living room, Sharpay pulled him into the kitchen and leaned closer to his face. "Chad. I - I need to tell you something," she said quietly, all the while getting closer to him. "I have always secretly liked you. All the basketball games, seeing you run around in that little outfit…oh, goodness."

Chad was tense. "Uh.. I, uh…"

"Don't say a word," she breathed into his ear. She leaned in to kiss him slowly, gently. Their lips touched only for second, and Chad pulled away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at him with a confused expression.

"I can't do it, Sharpay," he said, shaking his head. "Not after what just happened with Taylor. Not yet."

"Oh," Sharpay said. "I understand…I do."

They moved away from each other and into the living room where there were many East High students in black, grieving. The parents of Troy and Gabriella were also there. Chad leaned in and whispered to Sharpay.

"Have you told them about Taylor yet?" he said into her ear.

"No. Not yet," Sharpay replied quietly. "I'm going to tell Ryan to announce it during the prayer. Stay here."

Sharpay searched through the mass of people to find her brother. After a few moments, she found him next to a table with framed pictures of Troy and Gabriella. Beside them were bouquets of flowers.

"Ryan," she said tapping on his shoulder. He turned around.

"What is it, Sharpay?"

" I've got some sad news. It's…Taylor. She was found dead about an hour ago."

Ryan looked shocked and pulled away from her. "You're serious? Oh, no."

"Yes, I am," Sharpay replied. "And I want you to announce it in the prayer, alright? I'm sorry you have to be the bearer of bad news."

He nodded and picked up a glass, gently hitting a knife on it to get everyone's attention.

"Quiet, please, everyone," he said a little loudly. "I would now like to start the prayer."

Everyone quieted down and turned their attention to Ryan.

"Now," he began. "As you all know, Troy and Gabriella, beloved wildcats, were both killed earlier this week. This came as quite a shock to me, and I'm sure all of you, too. Troy and Gabriella were wonderful people, but we all know they are in a better place now. They will both be greatly missed and forever in our hearts. But now, I have to bring upon you all yet another piece of tragic news. Taylor McKessie has just been killed, only just this evening."

"What?" called out Martha Cox from the group. "No!"

There was much chattering among the people, and most started crying.

"Settle down, settle down," said Ryan, trying to calm everyone while holding back tears. "We are all very upset, but we must remember that they are all in a better place. We must also pray that this horror does not fall upon anyone else close to us. Now, I have started the toasts. If anyone would like to make a toast, please do so."

Kelsey Nielson, the pianist, began her toast. "I…I really don't know how to say this, but I will try my best. I had the amazing pleasure of working with all three of these people in our musical, Senior Year. I am terribly upset that this has happened, and I know they are watching down on us from heaven above. That's all." She began to cry.

"Thanks for your toast, Kelsey," Ryan said. "Are there any more?"

Suddenly, the lights went off. People screamed and panicked.

Once all was quiet, the phone rang.

"Everyone, stay calm!" Sharpay shouted as she reached slowly for the phone.

"H-hello?" she whispered, breathing heavily.

"Hello there, sweetie," said the voice of the murder on the phone.

"What the hell do you want, you crazy sun of a bitch!"

"Hey, hey… there's no need for name-calling," said the voice. "I just want to play a game!"

"Well," Sharpay replied, "we don't want to play your stupid game! Leave us alone!"

"Listen, one of you is going to die tonight, and I don't have all day."

Sharpay began crying. "Fine, alright? What do you want from me?"

There was a short pause.

"It's not what I want from _you _necessarily. It's what I want from your _brother_."

Sharpay slowly turned her head and looked at Ryan's face, which looked scared. She turned away from everyone and whispered into the phone.

"I will _not_ let you hurt him or anybody else in this goddamn house!" She let out a groan of frustration.

"Give the damn phone to your damn brother or your blood is going to spill right here, right now," said the voice on the other end.

Sharpay reluctantly handed the telephone to Ryan, putting her hands on her forehead. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she knew what was going to happen.

"What do you want?" Ryan asked, looking at his sister.

"Oh, not much. Just for you to know that you won't be killed. Yet."

Ryan didn't reply.

"Now," said the voice, "go upstairs and into the bathroom."

"Why should I trust you?" Ryan asked him. "How do I know you're not just waiting there to kill me?"

"Because that would obviously be no fun," he said. "I just _love _messing with my victims. Not that you need to know. Anyway, go upstairs to the bathroom _now_. You and your sister's lives depend on it."

Chad came up behind Sharpay and touched her shoulder.

She jumped as he asked, "What's going on?"

"It's him. The murder," she said over her tears.

"And don't you dare hang up the phone," said the voice.

Ryan set down the phone on a table and walked into the hallway. "I'll be right back," he said. "Stay here."

Ryan's heartbeat grew faster and faster as he climbed the stairs. A dozen thoughts raced through his mind as he approached the top and saw the light of the bathroom through the doorway. He slowly neared the bathroom and cautiously leaned around the corner. Ryan entered the room and looked around him to make sure he was alone. A small, folded piece of paper was waiting for him on the counter. He picked it up and read the riddle to himself.

It read: "If you know what year the Exorcist was made, then 2 more hours of life you'll be paid." Near the bottom was small print that said: "_you have until 9:30pm to answer this riddle._"

Ryan looked at the small clock on the counter. _Oh, crap…_ he thought to himself. The clock read 9:27pm.

"Crap!" he shouted. "Why did I walk up the stairs so damn slowly?!"

Ryan ran down the hall to his bedroom and quickly turned on his computer. _Has my computer always turned on this slow? _he thought as it booted up.

"Come on, you stupid piece of crap!" he shouted. He opened up Internet Explorer and quickly typed in "The Exorcist". His hands were so shaky that it actually came out as "Eht Exorcsit". Oh well, good enough. He quickly searched for some clue about when it was made, and there was the year. He glanced at the clock. _Oh no! 9:31pm._

Just then, his cell phone rang.

Ironically, the song "What I've Been Looking For" was his ring tone. _"It's hard to believe that I couldn't see…you we're always right beside me." _

He picked up the phone and answered it.

"Times _up!_" said the voice on the other line.

"No, no!" Ryan shouted, standing up. "I have the answer! It's 1973!"

The voice on the other end laughed a grim, evil laugh. "That _is _the correct answer, but you're a minute too late. If only you'd answered it just a minute earlier. Then you'd have at least 2 hours left of your pitiful life. Turn around. I was _always right beside you_."

Ryan hung up the phone, put it down, and slowly spun around in his computer chair.

_Moments earlier down in the living room._

Sharpay paced nervously, back and forth, while many people were already gone. They had paid their last respects to the deceased three and made their way out. Who would want to stick around when there's a murder on the phone? The only people who remained were Chad, Martha, and Kelsey.

"I have to go up there and see what's taking Ryan so long,' Sharpay said. "You three wait here. I will be right back." She hurried up the stairway.

Ryan was turning around to face the murder, who was holding a steak knife. She tried to shout, but her throat was too immensely dry for her to even make a sound. Before she could reach him, it was too late. The masked-murderer slit Ryan's throat with his knife, severing the carotid arteries in his neck. Blood shot out everywhere. Blood splattered Ryan's computer screen, the murderers mask, and Sharpay's face. Ryan dropped to his knees, and died. Sharpay began to cry, panicking as the killer turned to her.

She started for the stairs, struggling and trying not to fall. The murderer appeared behind her, grabbing her arm. Sharpay grabbed his hand, trying to push the knife away from her face. She kicked his shins and he released his grasp. Sharpay reached the living room, pushing the three friends out of the house.

"Go, go!" Sharpay managed to get out as her throat regained some moisture. "No time to explain, just get in my car!"

Sharpay didn't hesitate as she threw the convertible in reverse and out into the street. She looked in her rearview mirror, barely catching a glimpse of the murderer - walking in the direction the car was headed.


	8. What's Next?

**Chapter 8: What Next?**

"Shit!" Sharpay muttered, half under her breath but loud enough for her passengers to hear.

What is one to do in a situation like this? Call the police? Try to outrun the murder, and eventually try to bring his demise upon him? When you're being sought out by a psychopath, your mind is scrambled; it's difficult to think under immense pressure.

"Damn it!" She cried, uttering another profanity as she remembered the vile image of her brother's death. Watching your twin brother, your only sibling, getting his throat slit and seeing the stains of his blood on your clothing only added to the pressure that Sharpay was feeling. Where were they going to go? What were they going to do?

Sharpay pounded her fist on the steering wheel and sobbed. "I'm not going to let us die. This son of a bitch is going to get what he deserves, and I'm not going to let him off easy."

The others in the car were silent. Sharpay glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure they were still there, just in case. Martha on the left, Kelsey on the right. Their eyes were red and their cheeks stained from tears. Sharpay could relate. Chad sat next to Sharpay and stared out the window.

Martha spoke up. "Sharpay, calm down. I know you -"

"I am not going to calm down when I have been right in the goddamn middle of a mass killing! I watched my brother die, Martha. How do you think I feel? Do you think this is easy for me? Do you think that some fairy is going to come along and make all this go away with her goddamn pixie dust?" Sharpay was shouting, not meaning to upset her. Regaining her self control, she said, "It's not, Martha. It's not going to go away that easy. We have to do something."

Martha didn't respond right away. After a moment, she said, "But what, Sharpay? How are we going to do something? We don't even know where he is. This guy is a freak. He can probably cut us in half like a giant can snap a sycamore branch."

"Call the police," Kelsey cut in. "They might be able to do something. We have to get help from somebody, somehow."

Sharpay was focused on the road. "I do know where he is, Martha. He's following us. He's out there. I saw him as we pulled out of the drive." She looked back at Martha. "I'll call the police, but I doubt they'll be of much help."

"Wh-what?" Chad stammered, turning from the window to Sharpay. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could have already had the police on this bastard's ass by now!"

Sharpay was teary-eyed again. "I was scared, Chad. I didn't know what to do. We can just call the police right now. They can still try to help us." She reached into her sweatshirt and pulled out her phone. She tried to dial 911, but her shaky hands wouldn't allow her to dial correctly. "Damn it!" she shouted.

"Sharpay, pull over up here. You can't use your phone and try to focus on the road all at once. Look, up ahead. There's a turnoff." Kelsey said, pointing to a spot where the road extended out, allowing cars to stop and let faster vehicles behind them pass.

Sharpay set down her phone and steered her car off to the right. The car came to a halt, and she sighed loudly. "God," she said with a sigh. She was finally able to steady her hands and dial the emergency line correctly. She put the phone to hear ear and listened as the dial tone rang. A woman picked up on the other line.

"Hello, please state your emergency," the voice on the line said.

"Please! I need you to help us!" Sharpay said, with fright in her voice. "We're being hunted down by a serial killer! We need help right now!"

"Ma'am, please find enclosed shelter and stay there. Then tell me the address of your location so I can send help," said the voice calmly.

Sharpay opened her door and looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere. 'Where the hell did I take us?' she thought. She saw nothing but cornfields for miles.

"Ma'am?" the voice inquired.

"I don't know where we are. We're in the middle of nowhere and all I can see is cornfields." She got back in the car, leaving the door open.

"Do you see any road signs that might give a clue as to where you are?"

Sharpay got out and looked once again. She saw a sign shortly up the road, but the wording was hard to make out. She squinted, and got the gist of the names of the crossroads. "We're just south of McNullen and… Garterberry," she said, struggling to see the words.

"Stay where you are. I'll send out an emergency cr-" the voice said, and the line was disconnected.

Sharpay pulled her phone away and looked at the screen. It was hung up. She put it back to her ear. No sound. "Oh, shit," she whispered. She pulled it back again and saw that she had a text message. It was from her mother. It read:

_Dear Sharpay,_

_ I hope you're having fun with the house to yourself. You can have a party, but make sure you're not too reckless! I don't want to come home to a stained carpet and torn drapes, do you understand? Your father and I will be home in a few days. We'll call you when we're ready to meet you at the airport. _

_P.S. - Tell my little ducky Ryan that I said hi! Kisses! _

_Love, Mom. _

Sharpay did not know how to respond. All she could think of to write was "I love you, mom. I love you." There was no more to be said - no more that could be said at this time, anyway.

"What's going on, Sharpay?" Martha asked Sharpay, who was returning to the car. "Are the police coming?"

"I hope so Martha," was all Sharpay could fathom to say. For she did not entirely whether the police would come. If they did, would Sharpay and her friends still be alive to be helped? It was entirely a chilling concept that Sharpay could not bear to ponder any longer.

_Silence._

"Are we just going to sit here, Sharpay?" Chad said after a few moments. "Are we really just going to sit here while someone is after us? Someone who wants us gone?"

Sharpay didn't answer.

"Look, Sharpay," Chad started again. "I can't even believe you drove out into God knows where with a murderer on our trails. Do you know how stupid, idiotic, and -"

"No, you look, Chad," Sharpay shot back. "I want to you to stop criticizing me and shut the hell up. Yes, I drove us out here. I had no idea where the hell I was going!"

"You could have gone somewhere, oh, I don't know… safe?" Chad responded.

"Guys!" Kelsey interrupted, "you know who needs to shut up? You two! Bickering is not going to get us out of this mess. Now, let's just stay out of each others' throats and wait like civilized beings for the police to come."

"How do we even know they're coming, Kelsey?" Martha asked. "And _how _can we be civilized when we're this close to being killed? Huh?"

Sharpay had her hands on her forehead. Her phone vibrated. She had a missed call. Expecting it to be from her mother, she looked at it. It wasn't. It was an unknown number, but within the same area code. She pressed on the screen to hear the message.

"Oh, my God," Sharpay murmured, pulling the phone slowly away after she had finished listening to the recorded message.

"What?" Chad said, looking at her phone. "What is it?"

Sharpay put her phone on speaker mode so all four of them could hear, and she replayed the message.

It began: "Hello. It's me. I'm sure by now who know who I am, and you can recognize my voice. Sound familiar? I thought so. Fortunately for you, your brother's blood spilled all over my knife. How is this good news, you might ask?" The voice laughed a dark, raspy laugh. "I don't like to claim my targets with a soiled knife. Therefore, I had to take a little stop-off to rinse off the blade. Thank your brother, because he just bought you a few more minutes of your lives. Now, let's cut to the chase. What do you have to do? I suggest you run for the nearest building, but that's just me. And besides, who would listen to a murderer? Your second choice is to wait in your car until the police arrive. That is, _if _they arrive." Another laugh. "So, I'll leave it up to you. The choice is yours. Which do you choose? I'll see you soon." The recording ended. A robotic female voice prompted Sharpay to replay, save, or erase the message. She erased it.

"Goddamn," Chad muttered. Kelsey was covering her mouth with her hands, and Martha was sobbing.

"This guy is about to piss me off really badly," Sharpay said, buckling her seatbelt. "Hang on, everyone. We're going to kill this son of a bitch."


	9. Crash and Burn

Here's chapter nine. I will try to keep the gore down to a minimum, but I can't make promises. Gore is essential to horror (most of the time)! Perhaps I will just use some mild violence; I'll try not to be too descriptive.

**Chapter 9: Crash and Burn**

Sharpay put the car in drive and set out on the road, accelerating to nearly 70 miles per hour. She had an irritable look on her face, focused out the windshield. It was obvious that everyone in the car looked a little nervous. Perhaps they had forgotten about their dire situation with the murderer and were instead fearing for their lives due to Sharpay's maniacal driving.

She looked out the window, searching for a place they could stop and take cover from the murderer. Cornfields and rural landscapes passed by at an amazing rate of speed. Maybe I should slow down a bit, Sharpay thought, I wouldn't want to be dead before we can get him.

But would they be able to stop this madness? Only time will tell, she thought.

There was no place in sight that could shelter the four friends. Sharpay looked frantically out the windows, hoping there would be a barn or house somewhere. All she could see was trees, cornfields and other agriculture as far as the eye could see. "Keep your eyes peeled," Sharpay commanded the others in the car. "We have to find somewhere to hide."

The others obeyed and were searching out their windows for somewhere. But alas, there was no place in sight. To make matters increasingly worse, it was seven o'clock. It was almost pitch-black darkness all around.

"I can't see anything, Sharpay," Martha said, frustrated. "There's not enough daylight left to see much."

"Open your eyes, Martha," Sharpay sharply said. "There's just _got _to be somewhere!"

Habitually, Sharpay glanced out her side-view mirror. She could see headlights reflected in the mirror some distance away. Perhaps they can help us, Sharpay thought to herself. She pulled over to the right, turning the car off but leaving the key in the ignition.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kelsey asked, poking her head between the front passenger seats. "We can't stop when we know there's a madman after us! Are you crazy?"

"Shut up, Kelsey," Sharpay responded, quietly. Kelsey heard what she said and slowly pulled her head back and looked out her window. She turned her body and glanced out the rear window and saw a pair of headlights slowly approaching.

"I'm sorry…" Sharpay began. "I'm just a little worked up about all this, you know?"

Kelsey, still looking out the rear window, said, "I forgive, you but…"

"I want to know why we're stopping too, Sharpay," Martha added.

"What the hell is -" Kelsey interrupted, with her eyes still focused out the back window.

Sharpay looked back at Martha, then turned away. "We're stopping because I think the person in the car behind us can help," Sharpay said. "Directions, a place to hide at, I don't know." Sharpay stayed in her seat.

The vehicle behind them pulled to a slow stop behind Sharpay's car. It sat there, unmoving, silent. Kelsey pulled herself back around to face forward. "Sharpay, are you going to get out and ask for help?" Kelsey asked.

Sharpay rolled down her window and stuck her head out to look at the vehicle behind them. Chad tapped her on the should to get her attention. "What, Chad?" she asked, pulling her head back inside the car to face him.

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious that the person in that car stopped?" Chad said. "I mean, they haven't even gotten out to see if we need help yet."

"Don't be stupid, Chad," Sharpay said. "They're probably just waiting for someone to go up and ask them. Here, I'll get out and see if we can get some help." She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door halfway until Martha stopped her.

"Sharpay," Martha began, "I really don't think it's a good idea to approach this person. We don't know them. For all we know, it could be a weirdo rapist. It would be best for us to just continue by ourselves and look for shelter."

Sharpay, reconsidering getting out, closed her door and put her seatbelt back on. She turned over the ignition and put the car into drive. "You've got a point," Sharpay said. "Let's see what this guy's going to do." She slowly turned back onto the road and drove the car a little ways. She looked into her rearview mirror. The vehicle behind her was following her. "What is this guy doing?" she muttered to herself.

"Sharpay, pull over," Chad suggested. "Either this guy wants help and he wants us to offer some, or he's waiting for us to ask for help."

Sharpay, looking in the rearview mirror again, listened to Chad's advice. She pulled her car over again and stopped, turning the car off and leaving the key in as per the first time. She undid her safety belt and opened the door, stepping out.

"Hey," Chad called to her.

"Yeah?" Sharpay responded, ducking down to look at him through the window.

"Be careful," Chad said, reaching out to grab her hand. Sharpay gave a small smile. She pulled away from the car, letting go of Chad's grasp. She looked at Martha and Kelsey in the back, who, with fearful expressions on their faces, nodded in agreement with Chad. She gave them a nod back and faced the vehicle that was parked behind hers. Its engine was off, she noted, from the lack of noise and light from the headlights.

The vehicle, she noted, was an old Chevrolet pickup truck. She knew from the look of it that it was a model from the 60s, but she wasn't certain as to what year the make was. It looked similar to Troy's old truck, Sharpay thought, and winced at the memory of him. She had to be strong and approach the truck. Examining the car again, she noticed that it was very rusty and beat up. It was obviously not very important to the owner who didn't take much care of the vehicle. Slowly, one step at a time, she came up to the passenger window of the vehicle's occupant.

The window was very darkly tinted, so she couldn't see inside, but she knew that he might be staring right at her. She tapped on the glass gently with her fingernails. Nothing happened. She tapped again, a little harder this time, and said, "hello?" so that the driver might hear her.

"Do you need something from us?" Sharpay asked, not able to see the driver's face. Why wasn't this strange person answering me, she wondered. "If you don't need anything from us, we do," She said, a little louder than her previous remark. Perhaps he hadn't heard her. How did he not notice her standing there, right outside his door?

Sharpay began to back away from the vehicle. It was no use if this stranger wasn't going to interact with her in any way. As she was a few steps away from the truck, she heard a squeaking noise. Sharpay turned around to see the dark window slowly moving downward in tandem with the noise, and revealing the figure inside. She slowly approached the truck again so she could speak with the driver. He wasn't facing her. He was looking straight ahead through the window. Perhaps he was still waiting for someone to come out of the car. Perhaps he had not seen Sharpay clearly standing right next to him.

"Hello?" Sharpay said meekly as she was right outside his window. She couldn't see his face as the figure was wearing a black hood. "Excuse me?"

The figure turned its head to face her, though all she saw was a shadow where his face would have been; there was not enough light in the sky for his face to be visible. The figure finally spoke: "Hi there, you sexy little thing." Sharpay made a disgusting face. What did he think she was, a prostitute? No way in hell. It spoke again: "Do you want to play a game?"

Sharpay was confused at first. She knew that voice was familiar. Where had she heard it before? It took her a moment to realize what was happening. A terrified look sprawled across her face as it dawned on her. "Oh, crap!" Sharpay said quietly, backing away from the truck. It was him.

The voice laughed as he rolled up the window. Sharpay was paralyzed where she stood. Her throat went dry and she could not scream. The truck's ignition was turned on and Sharpay finally found the strength to run back to her car. Not caring to put on her seatbelt, she attempted to turn on the car's ignition. "Shit, shit!" she shouted.

"What? What's wrong?" her friends were questioning, frightened.

"It's him, god damn it! It's him!" Sharpay screamed, crying.

The truck behind her crashed into her bumper, throwing everyone in Sharpay's car forward. She threw the car in drive and skidded onto the road, accelerating as fast as she could. Like before, the truck was once again following her. Everyone in the car was wondering what was going on.

"What do you mean 'him'?" Martha was questioning her.

"Him!" Sharpay shouted, looking in the rearview mirror. "The killer! He's in the truck!"

Kelsey was holding her head, beginning to sob. Sharpay looked into the rearview mirror again, panicking. What was she to do? Try to outrun him? She looked at her gas gauge. The arrow was pointed on 'empty.' The fuel tank was dangerously low. As she had done before, she frantically searched for shelter. The truck behind her was gaining. It was suddenly right on her tail. Don't run out of gas now, she thought, glancing at her fuel gauge again. The truck smashed against her bumper with great force, surprising the four in the car.

"Goddamn!" Sharpay shouted. Kelsey and Martha were turned around in their seats, watching out the back window with terror.

At last Sharpay found what she had been praying for: shelter. It was what looked like an abandoned house in the distance on the left, but she had to try. She cut across the road and the car lurched as it ran over rough terrain. Chad was holding on for dear life. The car was running over rocks, potholes, and plants among other things. Sharpay looked in the mirror; the truck was still following, headlights nearly blinding Sharpay.

"Turn off your brights, asshole!" Sharpay shouted, still looking into the mirror. She was not paying attention to which direction her car was headed.

"Oh, my god, Sharpay!" Chad shouted, "watch out!" But it was too late. Sharpay turned her attention back to where the car was going and saw a huge cottonwood tree right in her path of travel. She screamed and tried to swerve away from the tree, but she had already crashed into it with full force. The airbag did not deploy. Sharpay's head was resting on the steering wheel. With a groan, she pulled her head away and looked in the rearview mirror. There was no sign of the truck behind her, but she noticed blood running from her nose. She wiped it off on the back of one hand and rubbed her aching head with the other. She looked in all directions around her, but the truck was not seen anywhere.

"Oh, god," Chad said with a grunt. "Damn it, Sharpay! Look what you did!"

Sharpay shot him a dirty look, but otherwise ignored him. She merely looked in the backseat to make sure everyone was okay. Martha and Kelsey looked a little shaken, but otherwise they had no major injuries. A few scrapes and cuts, but nonetheless alright.

"What happened?" Kelsey asked, dazed. She took off her glasses to make sure they were not damaged, but unfortunately they were cracked. "Oh, great," she said, setting them aside.

"Can you see without them?" Martha asked, leaning over to look at the broken lenses.

"No," Kelsey responded, "but I always have an extra pair in a clip-on case clipped to my jeans. Good thing, too, otherwise I'd be blind as a bat." She fidgeted with a case that was clipped to one of her belt loops and took out the extra pair. She smiled at Martha.

Sharpay turned away from the backseat, glad that everyone was okay. She sighed and stared out the windshield. She noticed something on the hood of her car. "Wait a second…" she said, leaning forward in her chair to get a better look.

"What now?" Chad asked, sarcastically. Sharpay pointed to the hood. Chad didn't see at first, but after a moment of staring, he saw a plume of black smoke rising from underneath the hood. "Oh, crap," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Everyone out of the car, now!" Sharpay shouted back to the girls as he unbuckled her own seatbelt. "It's going to catch fire!" Martha and Kelsey did as they were told. Kelsey got hers off and opened her door, looking back at Martha.

"Come on, Martha!" Kelsey shouted, wondering why Martha wasn't coming. It was then that she noticed that Martha was struggling with her seatbelt.

"I can't get it!" Martha screamed, panicking as she was tugging and pulling at the seatbelt in an attempt to get it off of her. She pressed the button numerous times, but it wouldn't release. Kelsey went back in to help her try and get it off. It wasn't working.

Sharpay and Chad ran to the nearby ranch house and were standing on the porch. "Why aren't they coming?" Sharpay questioned, eyes on the car. "Chad, do something!" Chad nodded and sprinted back for the car. This was a time when basketball drills were actually useful outside of the gym.

"Shit!" Kelsey screamed. She climbed into the front seat and opened the glove compartment. She searched for a pocketknife to cut the belt with as Martha continued frantically to remove the seatbelt. Kelsey dug through numerous papers and files until she found a pocketknife. She crawled back into the front seat and began cutting quickly at the material, but the knife wouldn't make an incision. Kelsey was cursing at this point as the belt wouldn't come off, and Martha was sobbing loudly.

"Help me, Kelsey!" Martha screamed through her sobs.

Chad arrived back at the car and looked into the backseat. He found Martha entrapped in the seatbelt and Kelsey frantically trying to cut it free. He reached into the car and grabbed Kelsey who started to flail her arms around to free her. "No!" Kelsey screamed. "We can't just leave her!"

"It's going to blow!" Chad shouted back at her. "Come on!" He pulled her away from Martha who was reaching out at them, screaming and begging for them to help her. There was nothing more they could do. Kelsey was pulled out of the car by Chad who began to jog her back to the porch where Sharpay stood, watching with horror. Kelsey left Martha in the car, watching her scream and sob, pulling at the seatbelt still.

The exploded into an inferno of flames. Chad fell to the ground and held Kelsey close to him. She was screaming and crying, watching her friend suffer, condemned to die a fiery death. Martha was still pulling at the belt, desperate to be saved.

"No!" Kelsey shouted, along with her sobbing. She couldn't stand to watch her friend like this. She pushed herself out of Chad's grasp and ran to Sharpay. She held Kelsey tightly in a hug. Sharpay was crying herself, trying hard not to look at the fire. The screams of agony still coming from the blazing car haunted her until the day she died.


	10. Shelter

-1God. _So_ sorry that this took so long. I can't believe I forgot about it. Again. Hope there's still some interest in this fanfic. Here we go.

**Chapter 10: Shelter**

Sharpay was pressing her fingertips against her temples with force, trying to subside the headache that was creeping upon her . The wrecked car was still ablaze; she could smell the gasoline - and flesh - burning in the distance. Kelsey was sitting on the edge of the porch, the flames illuminating her tear-stained face. Chad stood with his back to her on the other side of the porch, looking out across the fields of grass and other plant life. _How could this have happened? _I thought. _Oh, right, it was that son of a bitch in the black hood who blinded me with his goddamn bright headlights. God, this is all my fault_. _I can't believe so many people I love have died. Just like that. I need to take it upon myself and protect those I have left.___

She came out of her thoughts and, with her arms folded, walked over to Chad. She touched his shoulder lightly, making him flinch.

"God," he said, "you scared me."

Sharpay folded her arms again, looking away. "Sorry," she managed to whisper. Kelsey looked over. She had difficulty standing up, and then she joined Sharpay and Chad. "So, what now?" Kelsey said weakly, her voice trembling from both fright and cold. It was dark and no one had jackets, or any warm clothes at all.

Sharpay looked back to the door that lead into the rustic old house. "We've got shelter staring us right in the eyes," she said, gesturing. "Only problem is, we don't know if we can trust these people." She paused. "Make that two problems. That freak killer knows where we are now."

"I say we take the chance and ask for help," Chad suggested. "Better than staying out here and being cold, or worse, killed." The girls nodded in agreement, and together they walked toward the door and collected themselves. Sharpay was in front. She took a deep breathe, and exhaled. She reluctantly knocked on the door, which caused a banging noise that was louder than she would have liked. After a few moments, the door creaked open to reveal an elderly old woman.

"Yes?" she asked slowly, with wide eyes that suggested she was afraid or curious. Perhaps both.

"We were wondering if -" Sharpay began. But the woman interrupted her and said, "No, I don't have any money. Sorry."

"No!" Sharpay called, reaching out to stop the door from closing. "Listen, we really, _really _need your help. Really. Desperately." The woman opened the door a little wider to get a better look at them, and then she noticed the flaming wreckage in the background.

"Not again," she whispered. "Come in, come in," she said, waving them in in with urgency. Before she closed the door, she looked around, making sure nobody was watching or waiting in the shadows. Seeing nothing, she closed the door.

"I'll make some tea," the old woman called from the kitchen. The woman put a kettle on the stove, filled with water to boil. She set some cups and teabags on the counter, then joined her guests in the living room. "You poor things," she set, sitting down on a stool.

"We were being chased by some psycho," Sharpay being after a silence. "And stupid me ran ourselves into a freaking tree. Now one of our friends is dead." She looked at the many paintings the woman had around her house. Sharpay thought they were lovely. They were of young women and men, happy together in the woods, having picnics or dancing.

The old woman frowned, "Tragedy is all too familiar out here."

Chad looked up at her. "This has happened before?" All three teens were staring at her, frightened to say the least.

"Mm, no. Not exactly," the woman said. "But there have been reports of brutal murders - all linked to a man described as wearing a cloak with a hood that shadows his face. I don't worry about him much, because so far, all of his targets have been teenagers. A sicko, he is." They looked worried, sharing glances between each other. "And you, missy," she said, looking Sharpay over. "Don't you blame yourself for what has happened. This is that psychopaths fault and no one else's. As long as you're here with Mama Judy, you're safe from harm." The kettle began to whistle loudly, interrupting Judy from her speech. "Oh! Tea's ready!"

Mama Judy hurried into the kitchen to prepare the glasses of tea. In the living room, the teens began talking. "This is really freaking me out, guys," Kelsey said. Her eyes were pink and puffy, burning from tears and smoke.

"We're all freaked out, Kelse," Sharpay said. "I hate to freak you out even more, but that killer most likely knows where we are now. He wouldn't expect us to running off in the dark."

"Oh, God!" Chad muttered. "Isn't that just perfect!"

Sharpay glared at him. "Look, Chad, I know this isn't the most ideal situation, but it's what we have and you're going to deal with it, alright?" Mama Judy returned with a tray of four piping hot cups of tea. One for her and each teen. Sharpay took her cup and let the steam float up toward her face, inhaling through her nose and let it warm her. She pulled the cup to her lips to take a drink, then paused. _Nuh uh_, she thought. _I've seen this before. Poison drinks in horror movies. It's too easy.___

"G'head, sweetie," Judy said, smiling. She herself took a sip of the hot tea and then smiled again, keeping her eyes on Sharpay. Sharpay glanced and Chad and Kelsey who had already taken sips out of their cups. Sharpay noticed that nothing had happened to them. It must be safe. She pulled the cup once more up to her face and drank, letting the hot liquid roll smoothly down her throat and into her stomach. It warmed her inside, a nice feeling.

"This is really good, Mama Judy," Sharpay said, sipping some more. "What flavor?"

"Chai, with some other spices thrown in." Judy smiled. "I don't want to ruin the moment, but could you explain to me your entire situation? I'm just curious is all."

Sharpay looked to Chad, and he nodded. "Oh, gosh. Let's see," Sharpay sighed. "It started off with our friends Troy and Gabriella. They were first. Then our friend Taylor. Then my… brother." She was fighting back tears now. "He just won't stop. He won't leave us alone. Everywhere we are, he's there, no matter where we run to."

Mama Judy came over with a box of tissues and gave one to Sharpay. "There, there, darling," she said soothingly. "It'll be alright now. I know it's hard right now. There's no denying that. But you've got to make the best of what you have - and that's two friends. Two. Mama Judy won't let anything happen to you. Not in this house. You can count on that." She rubbed Sharpay's back.

"We've got your back, Sharpay," Kelsey said, trying to smile. Chad actually did smile.

"Yeah," Chad agreed, "we're all in this together, right?"

"All in this together," Sharpay said. She smiled weakly. It was hard for her to feel positive about anything after what had happened over the course of these few days. She felt like this would never stop. Ever. At least, not until he had gotten every single one of them.

"Now, not a single one of you will be hurt," Mama Judy reassured her. "Come on. I'll show you where you can sleep for the night - or however long you need to stay here."


End file.
